Rugby closed the gap on Premier pace-setters Sutton Coldfield when they cruised to a maximum-points eight-wicket victory at Fillongley while their rivals were forced to settle for a draw at Kenilworth.

Rugby skipper Matthew Ewer elected to bowl at The Parks and wasted no time in justifying that decision as he nailed Aaron Blackmore first ball to launch a highly impressive 13.3-4-33-5 assault.

Steve Ward (2-23) and Raj Chohan (2-22) provided exemplary support while Owen Edwards removed the dangerous Ahsan Sayed for a single as Fillongley struggled to 130 from 47.3 overs – opener Phil Hammond notching 27 but the only real hint of control coming from a fifth-wicket stand of 48 between Kyle Taylor (29) and Dan Smith (14).

Home spirits rose when Stephen Gardner Jnr saw off Chohan with only 11 on the board, but that proved all too fleeting as Rugby galloped to 131-2 in 22.5 overs – Charles Robards clubbing nine fours and a six in his 75-ball 58 while Edwards remained undefeated on 64, accumulated from 49 deliveries with the aid of ten fours and two sixes.

Kenilworth did Rugby a favour – and bolstered their bid to escape the relegation zone – when they clung on for a share of the spoils at home to Sutton Coldfield.

Put into bat, the visitors claimed their full 50-over entitlement to amass 239-5 – opener Mark Guest taking 121 balls to score his 72 while Lee Thomason, his partner in a second-wicket stand of 121, laboured over his 57 for 91 deliveries.

James Hunt provided some late acceleration with an unbeaten 38 as Tom Pope and Matthew Bolshaw picked up two wickets apiece. And Sutton looked to have plenty of time in hand as they reduced their hosts to 97-8 despite a diligent 38 from no.3 Christopher Prophet.

Dan Childs (15-8-24-5) and Graham Clark (9-5-23-3) did the damage, but their progress was halted by a ninth-wicket stand of 31, Tom Pope cracking three fours and a six in his defiant 24.

Michael Watts remained at his post to finish three not out from 39 balls while last man Jaesh Naik fended off 17 deliveries to card an invaluable unbeaten duck that carried Kenilworth to safety and five points with 128-9.

That keeps them seven points clear of bottom club Highway who suffered a 115-run drubbing against Olton & West Warwickshire.

The Fletchamstead men looked on course for their second win of the season when they reduced the visitors to 66-6 courtesy of Justin Patel (2-43), Joshua Bates (2-30) and Chris Bates (2-17).

But they found Gary Hawkins in immovable-object mood, the skipper reeling off ten fours and two sixes in a 110-ball 101 before he was finally run out by Patel having shared a seventh-wicket stand of 101 with Phillip Trilloe (35) and lifted the tally to 204-8.

That was far too rich for Highway’s blood, the home side bowled out for 108 in 41 overs by Tony Bristow (3-23), Sunil Vyakaranam (3-4) and Ben Brookes (2-15). Only one batsman reached double figures, captain Matt McCarthy defying the submissive trend to fire eight fours and two sixes in his 78-ball 54.

An inspired spell by James Taplin spearheaded Nuneaton’s 105-run demolition of Handsworth.

The home side totalled 230-9 from their 50 overs, opener Adam Walters (62) providing the solidity at one end while Ruban Field (39), Christopher Knight (35) and Russell Rice (32no) picked up valuable runs at the other.

Waqar Ahmed (4-47) and Clifton Folkes (3-50) shared the bulk of the wickets, but their efforts were overshadowed as Lee McNeill dismissed Errol Peck for a single to set the stage for Taplin’s 12-1-32-6 contribution.

Bedworth salvaged a solitary point as they were crushed by seven wickets at Coleshill,

Skipper Thomas Dangarembizi’s duck set the alarming trend for Bedworth’s total of 84 in 42.3 overs, Jack Smith and Christopher Camwell sharing the top-score honours on 16 as Kevin Crotty cut loose with a deadly 12.3-5-1-7-6 spell.

Coleshill’s reply got off to a far-from-certain start, Sam Smart (2-18) reducing them to 29-3, but Sunny Ahmed (28no) and Pete Magafas (27no) picked off boundaries with ease to whisk them home at 87-3 off the second ball of the 16th over.

Bablake Old Boys fared little better as they were trounced by seven wickets at home to Four Oaks Saints.

Four of the first six Bablake batsmen were dismissed for ducks en route to a disappointing total of 148 from 47.4 overs, Steve Swaffield proving the defiant exception with 63 while captain Jason Pyott hit 25.

And although Pyott employed eight bowlers in his attempt to defend the near-enough undefendable, Saints duly wrapped it up in 30.1 overs, skipper Alex Perkins carrying his bat for 80 while Ryan Ervine followed up his excellent 15-5-29-4 stint with 35 in their 151-3.